Tia Williams

Ph.D. Student and Researcher

Education Policy and Leadership

Vanderbilt University

Tia Williams is a Ph.D. student in Education Policy and Leadership at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College. Her research interests include school discipline, school closure, and community response to education policy. As a Louisiana native, she has a heart for education in the U.S. South. Prior to doctoral study at Vanderbilt, Tia graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Management Consulting and Education, Schooling, and Society. 

Publications & Scholarship

Conferences & Other Research

  • Welsh, R., Williams, T., and Joseph, B.“Bless Their Hearts: Exploring School Discipline Disparities and Patterns in the U.S. SouthSociology of Education Association Conference, Spring ​2024, Paper presentation

  • Williams, T. “That Which Cannot Be Washed Away: Critical Systematic Review of New Orleans Public Education American Educational Research Association Conference, Spring 2024, Roundtable presentation

  • Williams, T. & Stephens, K. (2023). Montessori education in Ireland. In A. Murray, et al. (Eds.), Handbook of Montessori Education. London, UK: Bloomsbury Press.

  • Williams, T. and McKenna, M. “Lessons from Our Growing Pains: University Women’s Perspectives on Education, Identity, and Relationships during COVID-19,” American Educational Research Association Conference, Spring ​2023, Paper session

  • Dutmer, H., Williams, T., Klee, S., Smith, R. “Undergraduates Reflect on a Community-Engaged Philosophy of Education Course”, North American Association for Philosophy and Education Conference, 2022, Panelist

  • Williams, T. and Stephens, K.“The Historical Development and Contexts of Montessori Education in Ireland”, American EducationalResearch Association Conference, Spring 2022, Roundtable session

  • Williams, T. and McKenna, M.“Here I Am: The Stories of University Women Learning and Growing during COVID-19”, Association ofMoral Education, Spring 2021, Poster presentation